Silvery GrebePodiceps occipitalis

The Silvery Grebe is common and widespread in the Andes as well as the temperate zone of South America’s southern cone. There are two distinct and allopatric populations, and these differ in head pattern and color of the display colors (face plumes); they may pertain to two separate species. The Silvery Grebe is found in a variety of aquatic habitats. The Andean form (juninensis) takes highland lakes, including hypersaline lakes, although breeding only on the fresh water ones. It breeds in what are sometimes large colonies; the nests are often made on floating mats of vegetation. The southern form (occipitalis) breeds in various fresh water lakes and ponds, and also forages on saline Patagonian lakes along side flamingos, breeding on lakes and ponds with floating vegetation. This form is quite migratory. In winter it is found in large lakes and commonly winters in flocks on the ocean. The Silvery Grebe is very similar in appearance, particularly northern juninensis, to the Junin Grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii) and is likely closely related to that species.

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